There is no such thing as the “perfect hockey team”. While general managers have an idea of the perfect team they would like to build, and head coaches have the perfect game plan in place, the game is never played without flaw or human error.
Even the best teams in the NHL are imperfect and have areas that need improvement. After all there can only be a singular entity in the number one spot, and only one team gets to lift the Stanley Cup. As the season winds down and the playoffs approach, let’s examine the fatal flaw of each Eastern Conference playoff team
Boston Bruins-It’s tough to start out with the best team in the NHL over the past three weeks. The defending Eastern Conference champs know what it takes to get to the Stanley Cup Final and a large part of the club knows how to win it (2011). Quite possibly the only discernable weakness would be peaking too soon. That sounds like weak sauce for a flaw, but if you are going to start streaking in the right direction, it is best saved for the postseason.
Pittsburgh Penguins-The Penguins were dominant for large stretches of the season but have cooled off lately conceding the top spot in the east to Boston. An extraordinary amount of injuries has crippled the Pens all year, but they have still managed to excel during the marathon season. The overall depth of the team will be pressed during the playoff grind. They have shown resilience and remained competitive, but depth due to injury has to be their biggest weakness. By the way, has anyone noticed how old the Pens roster has gotten lately? Not necessarily their biggest flaw, but worth noting.
Tampa Bay Lightning-The Lightning are one of the most exciting, up and coming teams in the entire NHL. With Steven Stamkos at the center of the action, the Bolts also have an impressive corps of productive youngsters that stepped up while Stamkos was out to injury. However, that playoff inexperience could cost the Lightning down the road.
Philadelphia Flyers-Goaltending. No Flyer’s fans can convince me or probably even themselves that Steve Mason and Ray Emery can carry them to Stanley Cup immortality. They have been superb so far, but realistically, even the most die-hard Philly fans hold their breath when either is in goal.
Montreal Canadiens-Clutch scoring. The Habs acquired Thomas Vanek at the trade deadline for a bag of magic beans from the Islanders. So far their Austrian mercenary has only tallied a single marker during his time in the fabled Montreal sweater. If Montreal wants to make it out of the divisional round of the playoffs they’ll need Vanek and others to bring some more offense to the party.
New York Rangers-Speaking of offense, the same goes for the New York Rangers who look loaded on paper. Unfortunately the games aren’t played on paper, they are played inside my television set which means that Martin St. Louis, Rick Nash and Brad Richards need to start earning some of those elite dollars and pull their weight in the postseason.
Toronto Maple Leafs-Before Jonathan Bernier got nicked up the Leaf’s Achilles was their porous defense. Now it looks like James Reimer is doing his best to ensure that there is no repeat of last season’s playoff collapse by making sure Toronto skips the postseason all together.
Columbus Blue Jackets-Once upon a time the Jackets looked like they had some unstoppable momentum. These days, with everything to play for Columbus can’t seem to get out of their own way. A brutal Sunday loss to the woeful Islanders looks even worse considering that New York has literally nothing to play for
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Washington Capitals-The Capitals would be the first to admit they are a one-horse show. Shut down Alexander Ovechkin and you can grind them right out of the playoffs. For all the awesome that Ovechkin has brought to the Caps, he has yet to deliver in the postseason. Largely overshadowed by his manufactured nemesis Sidney Crosby in Pittsburgh, the Caps fall flat in comparison to Crosby’s Pens over a similar time period.
Detroit Red Wings-Injuries have killed Detroit all year and there is no reason to believe that they won’t figure in to the end of the Wings’ season even if they are fortunate enough to claw their way in to the playoffs. They are in good standing right now, but they’ll need to finish strong if they are to have a prayer. The silver lining is the emergence of some young talent that had been tucked away in Grand Rapids.